1. A method of generating images using millimeter wave energy, the method comprising:
illuminating a subject with millimeter wave radiation produced by at least two millimeter wave radiation sources, wherein said illuminating comprises:
polarizing a first millimeter wave source with a first polarization;
polarizing a second millimeter wave source with a second polarization; and
modulating the first and second radiation source to produce modulated millimeter wave radiation, wherein modulating comprises first modulating the first millimeter wave source with a first modulation that alternates the states of the radiation source between a first state and a second state and second modulating the second millimeter wave source with a second modulation that alternates the states of the radiation source between said first and second states;
generating a first image of the subject using the millimeter wave radiation detected by a millimeter wave sensor when the first radiation source is in the first state;
generating a second image of the subject with the millimeter wave radiation detected by the millimeter wave sensor when the second radiation source is in the first state;
analyzing the generated images to detect representations corresponding to objects associated with the subject, wherein the analyzing comprises identifying an object in the generated images based on properties of an object identified in the first image properties of the same object in the second image with respect to millimeter wave radiation.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the millimeter wave sensor to the modulating.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first state of the at least one millimeter wave radiation source is \u201con\u201d and wherein said second state of the at least one millimeter wave radiation source is \u201coff.\u201d
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing the generated images further comprises differentiating between objects made from at least one of metal and plastic or dielectric materials.
5. The method according to claim 1, illuminating comprises placing at least one of said radiation sources above the subject in a manner which provides substantially uniform optical illumination.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein illuminating comprises placing at least one of said radiation sources substantially laterally with respect to the subject.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising concealing at least one of said radiation sources by an optically opaque medium which is transparent to millimeter waves.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising concealing said sensor by an optically opaque medium which is transparent to millimeter waves.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing further comprises combining the generated images into at least one composite image such that the at least one composite image has better image quality than any individual generated image.
10. An apparatus for detecting concealed objects, comprising
at least a first modulated millimeter wave radiation source which illuminates a subject with millimeter wave radiation having a first polarization, wherein said modulated millimeter wave radiation source modulates between at least a first illumination state and a second illumination state;
at least one second millimeter wave source which illuminates a subject with millimeter radiation having a second polarization and a second modulation that alternates the second wave source between a third state and a fourth state
a millimeter wave sensor which receives millimeter wave radiation from the subject; and
a synchronization unit that produces a synchronization signal, wherein the synchronization signal contains information regarding the modulation of the radiation sources,
wherein the millimeter wave sensor comprises:
a millimeter wave imaging sensor;
a switch operatively coupling the synchronization unit to each of at least two integrators, wherein the switch is controlled by the synchronization unit such that the synchronization signal operates the switch, and further wherein
the first integrator is activated by the switch to generate first image data from millimeter wave radiation detected by said imaging sensor when the first radiation source is in the first illumination state; and
the second integrator is activated by the switch to generate second image data from millimeter wave radiation detected by said imaging sensor when the second radiation source is in the third illumination state, wherein the first integrator is de-activated when the second integrator is activated, and vice-versa.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the millimeter wave sensor further comprises:
a formatter operatively coupled to the plurality of integrators, wherein the switch, the formatter and at least one radiation source are synchronized by a synchronization signal.
12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the synchronization signal is 60 Hz electric power signal.
13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first radiation source includes at least one first fluorescent light and the second radiation source includes at least one second fluorescent light such that the first light is placed at right angles to the second light to provide illuminations having different polarizations.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an illumination modulator that switches between the at least one first fluorescent light and the at least one second fluorescent light to provide illumination which alternates between the first polarization and the second polarization.
15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least one radiation source is concealed by an optically opaque medium which is transparent to millimeter waves.
16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the millimeter wave sensor concealed by an optically opaque medium.
17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the synchronization unit comprises an electro-optical sensor operatively connected to the millimeter wave sensor, where the electro-optical sensor detects the modulation frequency of at least one radiation source and matches the synchronization signal to the detected modulation frequency.
18. An apparatus for detecting concealed objects, comprising
at least one first millimeter wave source which illuminates a subject with millimeter wave radiation having a first polarization and a first modulation that alternates the first wave source between a first state and a second state;
at least one second millimeter wave source which illuminates a subject with millimeter radiation having a second polarization and a second modulation that alternates the second wave source between a third state and a fourth state,
a millimeter wave sensor which receives the millimeter wave radiation reflected from the subject, and generates an image which is analyzed to detect image representations corresponding to concealed objects; and
a synchronization unit operatively coupled at least one of the millimeter wave sources, wherein the millimeter wave sensor includes:
a millimeter wave imaging sensor;
a plurality of integrators;
a formatter operatively coupled to the plurality of integrators and synchronization unit;
a switch operatively coupling the imaging sensor to each of the plurality of integrators, wherein the switch is controlled by the synchronization unit and wherein the plurality of integrators includes:
a first integrator receiving from the switch a first image corresponding to when the at least one first source is in the first state;
a second integrator receiving from the switch a second image corresponding to when the at least one first source is in the second state;
a third integrator receiving from the switch a third image corresponding to when the at least one second source is in the third state,
a fourth integrator receiving from the switch a fourth image corresponding to when the at least one second source is in the fourth state, and wherein
the synchronization unit is configured to provide a first synchronization signal to the at least one first source, and a second synchronization signal to the at least one second source, and further wherein the first and second synchronization signals operate the switch, and further wherein
the formatter receives all four images and configures the images using the synchronization signals.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth images are analyzed by comparison to each other.
20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the concealed objects include objects made from at least one of metal and plastic materials.
21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first radiation source comprises at least one fluorescent light that is placed above the subject in a manner which provides substantially uniform optical illumination.
22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first radiation source comprises at least one fluorescent light that is placed substantially laterally with respect to the subject.
23. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one first fluorescent light is placed substantially laterally with respect to the subject.
24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the synchronization unit comprises an electro-optical detector operatively coupled to the sensor, wherein the detector detects a modulation frequency of one of the modulated millimeter wave sources and matches the synchronization signal to the detected modulation frequency.
25. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth images are analyzed by combination with each other.
26. A method of generating images using millimeter wave energy, the method comprising:
illuminating a scene with millimeter wave radiation produced by at least one first millimeter wave radiation source having a first polarization;
illuminating a scene with millimeter wave radiation produced by at least one second millimeter wave radiation source having a second polarization;
first modulating the first radiation source to produce modulated millimeter wave radiation, wherein the modulation includes alternating the states of the radiation source between a first state and a second state;
second modulating the second radiation source to produce modulated millimeter wave radiation, wherein the modulation includes alternating the states of the radiation source between a third state and a fourth state;
generating a first image with a millimeter wave sensor using the millimeter wave radiation detected from the scene when the first radiation source is in the first state;
generating a second image with the sensor using the millimeter wave radiation detected from the scene when the first radiation source is in the second state;
generating a third image with the sensor using the millimeter wave radiation detected from the scene when the second radiation source is in the third state;
generating a fourth image with the sensor using the millimeter wave radiation detected from the scene when the second radiation source is in the fourth state; and
analyzing the generated images to detect representations corresponding to objects within the scene, wherein the analyzing comprises identifying an object in the generated images based on the reflective properties of an object identified in the first and third images and emissive or transmissive properties of the same object in the second and fourth images with respect to millimeter wave radiation.
27. The method of claim 26, further comprising synchronizing said sensor to said first and second modulating.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein synchronizing comprises electro-optically detecting the modulation frequency of the millimeter wave radiation source providing the detected modulation frequency information to an integrator, switch, or image processor associated with said sensor.
29. The method of claim 27, wherein synchronizing comprises detecting a modulation signal provided to said radiation source and providing said modulation signal to a synchronization unit associated with said sensor.
30. The method of claim 26, wherein said objects are concealed from visible-spectrum detection within said scene.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the modulation frequency of at least one of said radiation sources is the natural power line frequency of an electrical signal providing power to said radiation source.
32. The method of claim 26, wherein analyzing further comprises combining the generated images into at least one composite image such that the at least one composite image has better image quality than any individual generated image.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of characterizing the pathological response of tissue to a treatment plan, comprising:
obtaining a set of sequential morphology renderings of the tissue, wherein each rendering corresponds to a particular point in time during the treatment plan;
generating a set of representative values of a biomechanical property of the tissue for the set of renderings, wherein each representative value is based on a corresponding rendering;
determining a trend of the biomechanical property based on the set of representative values; and
predicting response of the tissue to the treatment plan based on the trend of the biomechanical property.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a set of sequential morphology renderings includes obtaining a set of morphology renderings of tumor tissue.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a set of sequential morphology renderings includes scanning the tissue to obtain acoustic data and creating images representing acoustic parameters of the tissue with the acoustic data.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein scanning the tissue includes scanning with an ultrasound scanner.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein creating images includes creating images representing at least one of acoustic reflection from the tissue, acoustic attenuation within the tissue, and acoustic speed within the tissue.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein creating images includes generating one or more two-dimensional images.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein creating images includes generating a plurality of two-dimensional cross-sectional images of the tissue and combining the cross-sectional images into a three-dimensional image of the tissue.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein scanning the tissue includes surrounding breast tissue with a ring transducer and passing the ring transducer along an anterior-posterior direction relative to the breast tissue.
9. The method of claim 3, wherein scanning the tissue and creating images are repeated at regular time intervals during the treatment plan.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a set of representative values of a biomechanical property includes calculating a volume average value of the biomechanical property of the tissue for each rendering, thereby generating a sequential set of volume average values of the biomechanical property of the tissue.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating a volume average value includes calculating a volume average value of acoustic speed within the tissue for each rendering.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating a volume average value includes calculating a volume average value of breast density within the tissue for each rendering.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating a volume average value includes calculating a volume average value of the biomechanical property of tumor tissue, thereby generating a set of volume average values of the biomechanical property of tumor tissue.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein calculating the volume average value of the biomechanical property of the tumor tissue includes accounting for the difference between the value of the biomechanical property within the tumor tissue and the value of the biomechanical property in background tissue surrounding the tumor tissue.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein accounting for the difference includes subtracting an average value of the biomechanical property in background tissue from the volume average value of the biomechanical property of the tumor tissue.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the volume average value of the biomechanical property of the tumor tissue includes calculating the volume average value of acoustic speed within the tumor tissue.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a set of representative values includes determining an initial or baseline value of the biomechanical property.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a set of representative values includes characterizing the spatial distribution of the biomechanical property in each of the set of renderings.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend of the biomechanical property in the tissue includes calculating a rate of change in the set of representative values.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein calculating a rate of change includes calculating a slope of a best-fit curve fitted to two or more values in the set of representative values.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein predicting response of the tissue includes comparing the rate of change to a threshold.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein comparing the rate of change to a threshold includes comparing the rate of change to a threshold that is based on data characterizing response of prior patients to the treatment plan.
23. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend of the biomechanical property in the tissue includes analyzing the general shape of the curve formed by a plot of the set of average values against a temporal variable.
24. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting response of the tissue includes comparing the trend of the biomechanical property to a threshold.
25. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting response of the tissue includes analyzing the trend of one or more biomechanical property relative to another biomechanical property.
26. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend includes determining a trend of acoustic speed within the tissue in the sequential morphology renderings.
27. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend includes determining a trend in volume average value of acoustic attenuation within the tissue in the sequential morphology renderings.
28. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend includes determining a trend in acoustic reflection within the tissue in the sequential morphology renderings.
29. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend includes determining a trend in Doppler measurements in the sequential morphology renderings.
30. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a trend includes determining a trend in contrast agent uptake measurements in the sequential morphology renderings.
31. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the treatment plan based on the predicted response.
32. A method of characterizing pathological response of a tumor in patient tissue to a treatment plan, comprising:
obtaining a set of sequential ultrasound morphology renderings of the tissue, wherein each rendering corresponds to a different point in time during the treatment plan;
generating a set of volume average values of acoustic speed within the tumor for the set of renderings, wherein each volume average value is based on a corresponding rendering;
calculating a rate of change in acoustic speed within the tumor based on the set of volume average values; and
predicting response of the tumor to the treatment plan based on the rate of change of the sound speed within the tumor.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein obtaining a set of sequential ultrasound morphology renderings includes generating a plurality of two-dimensional cross-sectional images of the tumor and combining the cross-sectional images into a three-dimensional image of the tumor.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein obtaining a set of sequential ultrasound morphology renderings includes scanning the tumor tissue with a ring transducer and passing the ring transducer along an anterior-posterior direction relative to the tumor tissue.
35. The method of claim 32, wherein calculating a rate of change in acoustic speed within the tumor includes calculating a slope of a best-fit curve fitted to two or more values in the set of volume average values.
36. The method of claim 32, wherein predicting response of the tumor includes comparing the rate of change to a threshold that is based on data characterizing response of prior patients to the treatment plan.
37. The method of claim 32, further comprising modifying the treatment plan based on the predicted response.